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Last Update: 08/01/2026 at 3:33 PM EST

DOE Backs Coal Plants With Carbon Capture

Coverage from Energy.gov, E&E News by POLITICO, and others

Articles

9

Active Days

619

The Topic

DOE Backs Coal Plants With Carbon Capture topic image

The U.S. Department of Energy is backing studies to restore, modernize, or develop coal-fired power plants paired with carbon capture, while emphasizing carbon dioxide utilization in manufacturing and oil production. Four selected projects span Puerto Rico, Maryland, Alaska, and West Virginia and include feasibility, design, or recommissioning work rather than confirmed commercial construction. The direction links grid reliability and expanded coal use with carbon-management technologies, but project maturity, capture performance, financing, and long-term operation remain uncertain.

First Article: 01/01/00

Latest Article: 06/12/26

Summary

  • DOE selected four coal-related projects in Puerto Rico, Maryland, Alaska, and West Virginia for recommissioning, modernization, or feasibility and design work.
  • The selected concepts represent up to 3,565 megawatts of coal capacity, including a proposed 1,600-megawatt TerraSpark facility in West Virginia.
  • Carbon capture is included across the selected projects, but several awards are limited to feasibility, front-end engineering, or design rather than construction or operating capture systems.
  • DOE officials are emphasizing uses for captured CO2 in manufactured products and oil-field injection alongside permanent geologic storage.
  • The policy direction combines coal-power reliability goals with carbon-management funding, creating tension over whether federal support will deliver meaningful emissions reductions.
  • TerraSpark's West Virginia proposal remains early stage, with no confirmed site or electricity customers identified in the supplied reporting.
  • Broader DOE programs support capture, transport, utilization, storage, and carbon dioxide removal, but large-scale infrastructure and deployment gaps remain.

History

07/22/2026

The update mainly sharpens the story around DOE's June 2026 selections, adding a clearer financing and project-stage picture rather than introducing a new direction. It also newly identifies the DOE Loan Programs Office and a West Virginia proposal as still lacking a confirmed site and electricity customers.

07/22/2026

The story is largely unchanged, but the framing has shifted slightly toward the uncertainty around whether federal coal support will translate into real capture or storage. The current version also broadens the description of project stages and emphasizes DOE's carbon-dioxide utilization agenda more explicitly.

Full History

Featured

06-04-2026
Energy.gov
Project Selections for Broad Agency Announcement DE-FOA-0003605, Restoring Reliability
AES Puerto Rico and other developers will advance coal reliability and CCUS feasibility studies under DE-FOA-0003605 in Puerto Rico, Maryland, Alaska, and West Virginia.
05-13-2026
E&E News by POLITICO / Carlos Anchondo
CO2 Is a Resource, Not a Nuisance, DOE Official Says
Kyle Haustveit said the Trump administration uses carbon capture primarily for CO2 utilization in manufacturing and oil production during a DOE event in Washington.
06-12-2026
Politico / Zack Colman
‘This Is Not Normal’
TerraSpark plans a 1.6 GW coal plant with carbon capture in West Virginia, supported by a $18.5 million U.S. Energy Department feasibility study.

Timeline: 619 Days

2024Jan 1Mar 4May 27Jul 29Oct 21Dec 232025Jan 1Mar 5May 28Jul 30Oct 22Dec 242026Jan 1Mar 5May 28Jul 30Oct 22Dec 24

Additional Articles

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Clean Air Task Force / Kara Hunt12-02-2025
DOE's Coal Funding Announcement Misallocates Critical Funding for Carbon Capture Demonstrations. The Proposed New Office of Hydrocarbon and Geothermal Energy Can Fix It.
Department of Energy announces a 350 million funding opportunity to retrofit aging coal plants on September 29, with closing date December 8, in the United States.
E&E News by POLITICO / Hannah Northey01-15-2026
Trump Admin Redirects Carbon Capture Funds to Prop Up Old Coal Plants
The U.S. Department of Energy, citing grid reliability concerns, announced in a recent funding notice that it will redirect carbon capture and rural energy funds to support coal plant projects across the United States.

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Energy.gov01-01-1900
Carbon Management Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office announced financing pathways in the 2020s to scale carbon capture, removal, transport, and storage across the United States.
Energy.gov10-09-2024
Carbon Management
DOE announced up to $54.4 million in additional carbon management funding on August 13, 2024 for CO2 capture, storage, and conversion, with Round 6 applications due October 14, 2024.
Babcock & Wilcox06-08-2026
Babcock & Wilcox to Support TerraSpark's Development Efforts for 1.6 GW Coal-fired Power Plant Project in West Virginia
Babcock & Wilcox and TerraSpark plan the TerraSpark Energy Campus in West Virginia with a 1.6 gigawatt coal plant and carbon capture support.
E&E News by POLITICO / Corbin Hiar03-20-2026
Carbon Removal Hubs Languish as DOE Audits Drag On
Climeworks and Heirloom Carbon Technology stalled Project Cypress direct air capture in Louisiana after Department of Energy subsidy review delays under the Trump administration.